Like all microorganisms, psychrophiles are too small to insulate themselves from the cold or to use avoidance strategies by moving away from thermal extremes. Therefore, the only recourse is to alter their cellular composition. This chapter focuses on the cold adaptation of membranes, particularly how the lipid composition of membranes is changed so that the fluidity and phase properties are retained within functional limits of passive permeability and the activity of integral membrane proteins, including how cold is sensed. Most information concerning cold adaptation of membranes derives from work on bacteria. When possible, comparative information on bacteria, archaea, yeasts, filamentous fungi and algae will be given.
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Russell, N.J. (2008). Membrane Components and Cold Sensing. In: Margesin, R., Schinner, F., Marx, JC., Gerday, C. (eds) Psychrophiles: from Biodiversity to Biotechnology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74335-4_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74335-4_11
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